Are Americans Becoming Less Tolerant Of The LGBTQ Community?

A new study shows that Americans are becoming less tolerant of the LGBTQ community…

A new report by GLAAD shows that acceptance of LGBTQ people is down for the first time in four years. The study revealed that 49% of non-LGBTQ adults said they were “very” or “somewhat” accepting of the community, in comparison to last year’s survey, which scored 53%.

The online survey was conducted by The Harris Poll for GLAAD from November 16-20, 2017, with 2,160 adults participating. Of the participants, 1,897 were not part of the LGBTQ community.

The study also revealed an increase of intolerance in everyday scenarios. The results show that 30% of participants said they would feel uncomfortable if a family member was LGBTQ (which was previously 27%), 31% said they would be uncomfortable with an LGBTQ doctor (previously 28%), and 31% said they would not approve of their children being taught by an LGBTQ teacher (also previously 28%).

The Harris Poll survey concluded that 55% of LGBTQ adults reported experiencing discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity; a staggering 11% increase from the year before.

John Gerzema, the CEO of the Harris Poll, said: “In a single year, we’ve seen significant declines from what had been an increasingly accepting America to one now less supportive.”

Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD president and CEO, said she was surprised at the scale and the swiftness of the poll’s decline in an interview with USA TODAY. She also adds that the increase of intolerance is becoming an everyday occurrence for members of the LGBTQ community in the United States.

Some activists say the findings are shocking, but still not unexpected after a turbulent 2017.

“This report puts numbers to the bias that too many LGBTQ Americans have recently experienced. GLAAD is fighting the rollback by enlisting philanthropic leaders like the Ariadne Getty Foundation and global change-makers attending the World Economic Forum to use their platforms and move our community forward,” said Ellis.